3 Halloweens Caroline Kisses Tyler & 1 She Doesn't
by moonlightBuffy
Summary: Caroline/Tyler. Just as the title says. Halloween seems to be their time of the year so I thought I'd have a bit of fun.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Three Halloweens When Caroline Kissed Tyler And One Where She Didn't  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairing:** Caroline/Tyler, mentions of pre-show Elena/Matt  
**Summary:** Halloween really seems to be Caroline/Tyler season so I thought I'd make a small fic. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

"I'm not scared of anything," Caroline declared proudly.

"Nothing?" Tyler asked sceptically, walking in circles around the other five year-old. He acted like an officer analysing his subordinates.

"Nothing." Caroline confirmed.

"Good. You may be my friend this Halloween, for I am not afraid of anything either." Tyler's eyes gleamed wickedly.

Caroline smirked. "Really?" She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, causing Tyler to run away and tell a teacher that she was being men. It made Caroline feel kind of proud.

* * *

The shrill laugh of Elena filled the silent woods where they were currently hanging out, the four of them. The Fantastic Four. Elena was placed in Matt's lap, leaning against him and Caroline sat next to Tyler, trying her best not to vomit. And it wasn't because of the alcohol. It wasn't that she necessarily liked Matt either. She knew he was off limits, Elena's and all that. She would never want a man who was some other girl's leftovers and especially not _Elena's_ leftovers. She just kind of despised Elena for being so... perfect. She had everything; the life, the family, the boyfriend... All she had was a mother who hated her, a dad who was absent and no boyfriend to speak of.

As if the universe was trying to prove a point, her eyes suddenly met Tyler's and he winked in that disgusting little way of his and offered her his whiskey bottle. Usually they would all just steal little bits of their parents' alcohol cabinets - a decilitre here and there - but seeing as it was Halloween, they'd all decided to go all out. It was a celebration after all.

"What?" Caroline snapped. She knew exactly what he was doing. Nothing about Tyler was exactly a secret.

Tyler snorted. "Chill, Forbes. Just trying to be accommodating."

Elena and Matt were too busy to hear either of them.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's all that you were doing." She didn't have time for his games today. "I heard about you and what's-her-face? Doing the school nurse won't exactly get you any cool points, Tyler. It just makes you a sleaze."

Even though she could read Tyler like an open book, it still seemed like he had the power to surprise her. Genuine surprise and a little bit of hurt mixed together and formed an expression that made her feel a little bit bad. Only a little.

"What's your problem, Caroline?"

Fine. A bit more than just a bit bad. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Tyler. Just an awful day."

She buried her face in her hands and thought back to the argument she'd overheard between her parents just before she'd sneaked out. At first it had seemed as though it was going to be a family celebration this Halloween, but the argument had rendered any hope of that impossible. Not that she wanted to spend time with her mother. Not really. The woman was wound tighter than a horse's arse. Ok, that was mean. But only a little. Because it was also a bit true. Her dad was great but seemed to lack the general requirement of parenthood that was called _being there_. She supposed that was one of the few things she and Tyler had in common.

"Yeah. Fine. Whatever. But don't take it out on me," He cast her a warning glance and Caroline nominated herself for the crappiest friend of the year. Finding that she couldn't quite look him in the eye, her eyes rested on Elena and Matt but their adorableness was too sickening to witness. At least today. Why was Halloween always such a bunch of crap?

"I'm sorry," she whispered under her breath, not sure if it was out of shame or embarrassment. She hated fights, especially when it felt like she was responsible.

Tyler snorted, snapping the whiskey to his lips and poured down a large chunk into his system. He acted as though he didn't care but she knew better.

"Hey guys," Tyler called Elena and Matt who finally snapped out of their happy daze, "I'm gonna go. Enjoy the party."

Elena and Matt were probably not noticing the sarcasm but Caroline did and it hurt. Just before he left, Tyler looked at her and Caroline hoped that this wouldn't be a new game that they were starting. They always tried to trivialise things by making it a competition. Who could down the most shots without throwing up, who could pick the most berries at the end of the day and things like that. Caroline wasn't sure from when it'd started but most probably it was just one of their things. The leftover children, the forgotten scraps, failed mirrors of their parents... They were left to fend for themselves since no one else gave them the time a day. Caroline supposed that their games made them feel less alone.

Usually, she'd just tell Tyler to fuck himself, ignore him for a few days and when the time came for them to inevitably be in the same company again, she'd pretend that nothing had ever happened and that everything was fine. Usually that fixed things. Today however was one of those days when she couldn't be the crap daughter and the crap friend all in the same day. Elena was too busy to talk to and Matt... please, why would she talk to Matt about anything? He talked to her because she was friends with Elena, not because they had anything in common. There was also Bonnie, but Caroline had a strong suspicion that she preferred Elena as well to her. Everyone always did. Not to mention that she was visiting family God knew where. There was only Tyler who seemed to be immune to the Gilbert charm and in a strange sort of way, he was her best friend. In a way her only friend because Caroline knew she could trust him with her life. With Elena and Bonnie, she _wanted _to trust them with her life but that wasn't the same as knowing they'd try and treasure it.

She sighed again. Yeah, sometimes she thought she needed a full-time shrink to sort her out. Like a little chip in her brain that would get all of these crazy thoughts out of her head. Caroline wasn't stupid, she knew that she was probably overanalysing and overrationalising the behaviour of her friends based on some sort of hidden premise of her own subordination to them. Even though she believed it to be true, it didn't mean it was like that at all. It hurt her friends a lot, Caroline could imagine, but above all it hurt herself.

She needed to talk to Tyler tonight otherwise it felt like her head was going to explode and she was going to sit here all night channelling Dr Phil to herself while trying to ignore the awkward role of the third wheel. Seeing that Matt and Elena were busy and not feeling like one to intrude, Caroline left without a word and walked all the way to the Lockwood estate. Tyler had been her ride but it didn't really matter. It was a bit to walk but she had lived in Mystic Falls all her life. She could walk anywhere with her eyes folded. It was only later that she realised the small kink in her masterplan, which was that she was wearing heels but at that point it was too far to go back. Besides, she didn't want to grovel anyone for a ride. No, walking barefoot was the way to go. It took a bit longer but it wasn't too bad.

* * *

It took her about an hour and a half to reach Tyler's and that put the time at around eleven. Looking at the time, Caroline cursed under her breath. There was no way she could knock as she would wake the entire house up and besides, she didn't want Mrs Lockwood to get the wrong idea. Not wanting to stand around like a helpless loser, Caroline climbed up a tree close enough to Tyler's window, putting a few small stones in her pockets. Sitting in the tree, she threw the rocks against the window until Tyler opened. Upon seeing her, his eyes widened as though he was seeing ponies flying around in the sky.

"What the hell?"

"I wanted to talk to you," Caroline said casually, overplaying a little as she felt stupid, "Are you going to invite me in? Or do you already have someone in there?" He didn't seem to appreciate her failed attempt at humour.

"Fine," he didn't seem very happy about it, "You could've called you know."

Oh. Yeah, she could've. Ignoring that, Caroline climbed through Tyler's window, struggling a little but she thought it a good sign that he helped her through a little by lifting her ankle as she was struggling with her legs.

"Fuck, Forbes. Have you seen the state of your feet? What did you do? Walk here barefoot?"

Caroline tried to force her face to cool down and make the situation even worse. She was lying on Tyler's floor on her stomach while he was holding her ankle. Fuck her stupid ideas. "Yeah, what about it? Elena and Matt were too busy being adorable so I couldn't really ask them and you were my ride."

Tyler dropped her foot as though it was on fire. "Are you trying to say it's my fault?"

Caroline sighed. One of these days, Tyler would bitterly regret his feisty temper. "No," she paused for him to calm down, "I walked. My choice. No one's fault. Chill." She got up from the floor, brushing her clothes to remove any creases or dirt. "I just came to say I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be mean earlier."

Tyler sat down on his bed, nonchalantly looking away. "It's fine. Didn't bother me."

That was a lie. Like her and unlike everyone else, Tyler felt everything just like her but the difference between them was that he was a lot better at hiding it. Not that she was ever going to tell him. Pretence was their necessity and reputation was as important as fact.

"You didn't _really_ bang the school nurse, did you Tyler?" Caroline asked instead, knowing it was more comfortable ground to pursue and knowing that, she sat down on his bed too. She folded her legs up on the bed, and she was surprised to not hear Tyler comment on the dirt on her feet. She supposed that it was a really girlie thing to worry about that sort of a thing. Analysing the depths of his eyes, Caroline made a game out of trying to guess whether or not he was telling the truth. Did anything in his gaze reflect any indication of truth? Not really was the unfortunate answer. "You can tell me, Tyler. I promise I won't tell."

Tyler laughed. "You wouldn't tell? Please Caroline, you haven't been able to keep a secret since the day you were born."

"Hey, that's not fair. Sure, I don't really have the best track record when it comes to secrets but if you really don't want me to tell anybody, I _promise_ I won't tell anyone. You have my word."

Tyler thought about it for a minute, looking at her as though trying to judge her sincerity. "Fine. I believe you. So don't disappoint me."

"I won't."

As one of the leftover children, it was the strongest, most unbreakable oath you could ever swear. Having been told you are the eternal thorn in your parents' backsides and that you are their biggest disappointment repeatedly creates a certain sigma around the word. As a leftover child for all intents and purposes have already disappointed the large general public of the world in their immediate vicinity, it was almost an offence punishable by death to disappoint a fellow leftover. It was a philosophy they had created when they were twelve. Caroline doubted Tyler remembered.

The room seemed to almost vibrate in a magical silence as Caroline awaited the answer to the question that the entire school had been pondering for three days. Getting the exclusive truth on this matter made her feel empowered and special. It was a feeling that was almost addictive. Caroline moved closer to Tyler as though being physically close to him made it more intense. Her kneecap touched his. "Yes?"

Tyler breathed for a moment. "No. I didn't sleep with the school nurse. I was close to though. I think. I was about to kiss her."

Caroline's eyes widened. She sort of knew that Tyler hadn't but still... This so much better than she had ever hoped for. "_Really?_ You were? Oh God... But... she's like... _old?_"

Tyler snorted. "She's not old. She's 23. And besides, I look old for my age."

At this, Caroline couldn't help but laugh. "In your dreams, Lockwood. I mean, with your top off you might look... eighteen _at the most_ but she would still already know that you're only 14."

He shrugged. "Didn't seem to bother her that much."

Curiosity had always been one of her worst traits but it wasn't so much the gossiping itself that made it one of her most expressed feelings but rather the power that came with hearing privileged information. "But have you like... actually... you know... done it?" She gave him a poignant look, indicating her intention, excitement fluttering out into her very fingertips. She wasn't sure what it was about sex, but it made her really curious. Perhaps because it was so personal information that it was one of man's most preserved secrets and under the secret code of the leftovers, honesty always had to prevail.

Tyler nodded. "Yeah, I mean, haven't everyone?"

Caroline hated herself for turning dark red. She tried to hide her face but Tyler had already seen. The gasp he let out in surprise was a humiliating confirmation. She wanted to die. To be buried deep, deep down in the earth for archeologists to find her in million years to come. "Shut up," she pressed out though barely able to speak because of all the shame. She knew it was something she should've done by now. She knew Elena and Matt had done it ages ago, or at least so it felt like, and she was pretty sure Bonnie had too. Tyler had been her only chance not to feel like a freak but of course, he'd done it as well. In that sense, _she_ was the only real leftover. Tyler was just in for rent while his family was being messed up. She was there for life. Someone obviously liked Tyler enough to sleep with him and Caroline couldn't even get a guy to look at her.

"Hey, hey," Tyler moved closer, touching her chin to try and get her to look at him. She didn't want to. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

She didn't know why she was crying.

"Yes it is."

Finally, Tyler forced their eyes to meet and though she adverted her gaze almost immediately their eyes had still met and that reduced her to a little ball of sobs. She wasn't sure why but she knew that Tyler was the only one who wasn't going to judge her for it. Proving to be a lot better than she pegged him for, he actually moved closer and put his arms around her. Holding her almost like a child, Caroline's embarrassment heightened but her tears didn't seem to want to stop. Why she was crying she wasn't sure but maybe it was just this day, that her parents were fighting, that Elena stole everything she wanted and was too nice to be a bitch about it or that she had to put all of this pressure on Tyler just because she had nowhere else to go. Maybe it was because she hated Halloween or that she felt alone. Maybe it was all above or none at all. Perhaps she was a crazy freak who was slowly spiralling out of control and would end up at an asylum or something. It wouldn't surprise her. Caroline felt pretty crazy.

"I'm sorry," she said in between her sobs. "I don't want to cry." Somehow that almost seem to make her cry more.

"I don't mind," Tyler said, "We got each other's backs, remember?"

Between all the tears, that made Caroline smile and a little spark of happiness lit within her. Like the smallest little candle, fragile and weak, but it was still there. She hugged him.

"Thank you," she whispered, holding him close. "Sometimes I don't know what I'd do without you."

He snorted and tried to put on a brave face but deep down, Caroline knew he was flattered. Tyler had this thing about not wanting to admit that he was a pretty decent guy so he had to act like an ass most of the time. The trick was to see beneath all of that and be stubborn enough to stick around while trying to give him his time to let himself trust you. After that, he'd be the best friend you ever had.

She kissed him lightly on the cheek before pulling out of the embrace, feeling lots better. She didn't remember when she stopped crying but she felt like a new person. Sort of. She just had to keep reminding her brain that she wasn't as alone and isolated as she led herself believe. It led to embarrassing moments, such as this one. She was almost afraid she had done something wrong because Tyler looked so serious. She was a lot more comfortable when people took her as a joke rather than when they took her seriously. She supposed it was because she was out of practice with the former. She offered him a bright smile but Tyler wouldn't budge.

"You're not just giving yourself away to the first guy you see, Forbes. Which is okay. Actually, it's kinda cool. I mean, I respect it. I know _I_ couldn't do it."

Caroline laughed. "Jeesh, Tyler, did my parents pay you to say that or something? You sound like such a PG movie you have no idea."

"Stop joking around about it," Tyler replied darkly. "You're ready when you're ready but until then you shouldn't beat yourself up about it."

Apparently he was serious. Which was sort of flattering. "Thanks."

tbc

* * *

**Author's Note:** That was part one of the fic. I hoped you like it. I just wanted to note that with this fic I don't want to make any grand statement about people when they are "supposed" to have sex or anything like that (in case someone feels like I might try to make some sort of statement here) which I'm really not. But yeah, feel free to leave a comment. I'd really appreciate it.


	2. Chapter 2

"Caroline, don't you think you've had a bit too much now?" Forcing himself to sober up, Tyler pulled the laughing Caroline away from Nathan Fields as she was about to do something she would tragically regret later. He knew exactly why she was drinking so much tonight. The news about her father's escape with a man no less had spread like wildfire through the entire community and that combined with Caroline's natural inclination to be a neurotic freak, the math was pretty simple. "Come on, let's go and get you cleaned up." She seemed to be completely unaware by the fact that half of her dress was covered in mud. Tyler wasn't sure he wanted to know why.

She flung her arms around his neck and the scent of her rose perfume filled his nostrils. Some people had a tendency to smell like someone's grandmother when they wore that kind of perfume but Caroline... she managed to pull it off. She put her head on his shoulder as though they were standing still and contemplating something important whereas he was half-dragging her inside. Besides, he had heard Fields at practice about he was going do Caroline at the party. He was saving her reputation.

Once inside, Tyler wasn't sure how but he did manage to get her into his parents bedroom, which was the only bathroom in the house that currently wasn't filled with vomit. Clearly, he needed to think more practically about a party next year. He needed to hire some cleaning help or something because even though his parents weren't home for another week, there was no way he would have the time to clean the entire house. Sighing, Tyler placed Caroline on the bed, who immediately fell flat on her back and stared up at the ceiling. When he came back from the bathroom with a hot towel, Caroline was making heart signs in the air.

"Tyler?" she asked, her voice a little distant as though she was a thousand miles away.

"Yeah?" He sat down next to her, analysing the expression in her features. Caroline turned into quite the philosopher when she was drunk. There was never that much going on with her when she was sober but he always saw her in a new light when she was a bit drunk.

"Why does everyone like Elena more than me?"

There it was. It wasn't a surprise that she was asking but as he was faced with the question he wasn't sure how to answer. "Well... I don't know. Not everyone likes Elena more than you." He sat her up and began to wipe the dirty side of her face somewhat clean. Either she'd had quite the cat fight in the mud or she was drunk enough to trip. It was most probably the latter. Her big blues stared at him and something vulnerable shone through, hitting him right in the stomach. He realised no matter how much of a neurotic freak Caroline was, he'd always prefer her to Elena.

"That's not true," she said sadly, looking away momentarily as her eyes became glittery. All of the sudden it wasn't even like she was speaking to him any more. "_Everyone_ likes Elena. She's perfect. She's got the right smile, the right hair... She doesn't try too hard and..." she laughed and looked down at her costume, "She manages to look sexy without looking like a slut." Tyler wasn't an expert when it came to costumes but he assumed that Caroline had come as some sort of Little Red Riding hood. What Caroline obviously hadn't seen was how every man with a decent eyesight had bee absolutely struck with her when she'd come in. Nathan Fields, the arse, had been high-fiving his friends and even though Tyler had always known she was pretty, he was beginning to realise that they were all growing up. Her dress'd had corset that emphasised her every curve and her long blonde hair swelled down over her shoulders, laying the final touch on her radiant appearance.

"You don't look like a slut, Caroline." He just wished that she would stop talking and telling him all of these things. He didn't want to know. Somehow it destroyed the illusion. Whatever illusions that he might be holding, he didn't know, but it feels like something was changing and he didn't know if he wanted to turn into what it was becoming.

Caroline turned to look at him but when her eyes met his, it was as though she was staring right through him. Like she was gazing into some distant horizon. "Thank you, but I know it's not true. Elena comes in and everyone just rushes to her side. Me? They stare at me because I look like a freak."

Tyler wiped away some dirt just by the corner of her eye. "They stared at you because you're beautiful. Not because you're a freak." There was a silence and by the way she was looking at him he could tell that he had said something wrong. "What?"

Instead of speaking, Caroline leaned forward and before he had a chance to stop her, she pressed her lips against his. Initially, the shock overwhelmed him but what was even more surprising was how quickly his body seemed to get over it. His lips instead found themselves quite comfortably against Caroline's and before he could register what was happening, her lips parted and he kissed her back. Once he started it was as though something inside of him exploded and he was unable to stop. Perhaps it was because they were both quite drunk but no matter how much he thought about it he couldn't figure out a reason to stop. He didn't want to stop. His soul be damned and may he forever rest in hell but even though he should know better, Caroline seemed almost irresistible and the way she was responding didn't help either.

Caroline's fingers found the hem of his shirt and soon he could feel her well-manicured fingers roam all over his chest and pulling him closer. It wasn't necessarily graceful but it was as though they filled a need in the other. Caroline needed someone to be close, to give her the time of day. Tyler, he... well he supposed he just needed this. This in its pure and simple form. He didn't know why but he found himself smiling as he brushed a strand of hair away from her face. He didn't know if he ought to be disturbed by the sudden power this tiny girl seemed to have over him.

"Do you like me?" Caroline asked, a little dazed.

Feeling nauseous and strangely afraid, Tyler leaned forward and kissed her again, drowning the answer he didn't want to say. _Yes, I like you a lot_. And she was never going to know. After tonight, he was going to forget that he ever entertained the thought. It was probably just the alcohol but even at the remote chance that there was something more in that small, fleeting thought, he knew that he had to give it up. He didn't do feelings and Caroline did them too much. He was a jackass at best and Caroline... she always tried her best to be good. He was incredibly selfish right now, he knew that extremely well. He had no illusions about his own character but...

"Why do you trust me?"

Caroline gazed at him, her eyes were painfully gentle as she kissed him gently and responded without a trace of doubt. "I just do." She paused before continuing with a grave tone. "You're a good man, Tyler."

He hoped with every fibre of his being she'd never found out how wrong she was.

/

"Matt's in the car, sleeping it off. I'll deal with him, I don't want him involved in any of this."

Of course she didn't. He didn't want him involved in any of this either, which was strange because he was already involved but then again, being knocked out prior to all the bad things happened gave you a certain kind of innocence. Caroline had seen everything and to boot she was now covering up for him. Perhaps she wasn't as innocent as he thought she had been. He didn't know why but all of the sudden, he felt very alone.

"What are you doing?" He moved closer to her, just in case his mom would come back early. Discussing murder wasn't exactly something you did across the room from someone, much less the covering up of of one. If he had ever painted Caroline Forbes up to be a sweet, innocent though slightly neurotic girl this was the day when all that changed. She was the one handling everything, talking to his mom just right and managing to keep it together while he was breaking at the seams.

"I'm fixing a very bad situation."

"Why?" He was ready to face his punishment. He knew what he had done and for once, he wasn't going to be a coward. But here she was, helping him out of it. She didn't get it. He didn't deserve to be saved. "I did this. I killed her." He was going to have this curse hanging over him for the rest of his life. Whenever he would close his eyes, he'd see her face. Even if the truth would be buried and gone he would always know... And he would have to live with it.

"No, you didn't mean to. And I think it's best for everyone-" Having her trying to save him felt like some sort of cosmic joke. He was a killer and that was what he was going to be for the rest of eternity.

"But she's dead. You don't know what that means." But how could she possibly know? He didn't expect her to understand but... was she really that stupid to not realize that he needed to take responsibility? That everything had now changed?

Her eyes seemed to almost feel sorry for him. Why would she pity a killer? She should be throwing him to her mother. She _should_ be putting him in jail. That was the right thing for everyone. For Sarah, for her parents... for himself. But then again, what would be best for him required a lethal injection and despite having pushed her, he was now getting offered a get out of jail free card. It was frustrating and somehow she'd seen the worst of him and she was still there.

"Actually, Tyler... I think I do."

"No, you don't Caroline."

"Has your wound healed?" What kind of a thing was that to ask? His wound? Brushing away the collar of his shirt, he expected to find blood but despite a small stain, it was completely gone. No sign of where Sarah had stabbed him.

"...How did you...?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** I hope you liked it and that it wasn't too bad. I didn't have a beta and I haven't written in a _very long time _but oh well, it's all in good you so much for reading and leave a review if you like.


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